The American poetEzra Poundused
to call such folks “usurers” and wished “a condom full of black-beetles” upon them in
his epic Cantos. Though the voice in any poem is
not necessarily that of the poet’s, Pound’sradio broadcastsfrom Italy during WWII, alone,
indicate a strong streak of agreement between the poet and the voice present in
such segments of his cantos. It’s safe to say that Pound wouldn’t have minded a
banker or two’s condoms filling with black-beetles from time to time.

But thepopecalling all thoseGordon Gekko’sof the world “devil’s poo” is still
good news. It’s still, at minimum, the theater of a gesture in the right
direction, right? Even Plato’sshadow on the cave wallis better than nothing when you’ve
never heard of the sun.

Papa Pope said:

“I
would also say, and here I wish to be quite clear, as was St. John Paul II: I
humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the church herself, but
also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called
conquest of America.”

Now, here’s where the “theater of a gesture” becomes clear.
Notice – shockingly — despite the apology and begging of forgiveness, not one
gesture to restore what was stolen so long ago was offered. Just, “We’re super
sorry, and we hope you forgive us, that was a bad thing, but we’ll keep all
your shit, still, thanks.” Forget the enormous irony that the church committed
some of the most vile acts in history to get the wealth it has today. They’ve
learned their lesson, and that was “Bad! Bad!”

Sadly, a pope offering even the theater of a gesture is an
improvement from any we’ve had in quite some time. So, there’s the sunny side
of your silver lining. And from the reception the pope seems to be receiving
worldwide, it appears we’ll still take it. Even pretending to make a solid
gesture can win you the hearts and adulation of the world, which in turn may
still yield some goodyet.
Right?

Thought for the day

You’d be forgiven if you hadn’t noticed. His verbal bombshells are louder than ever, but Donald J Trump is no longer president of the United States. By having no constructive response to any of the monumental crises now convulsing America, Trump has abdicated his office. He is not governing. He’s golfing, watching cable TV and tweeting…

In reality, Donald Trump doesn’t run the government of the United States. He doesn’t manage anything. He doesn’t organize anyone. He doesn’t administer or oversee or supervise. He doesn’t read memos. He hates meetings. He has no patience for briefings. His White House is in perpetual chaos.

Robert Reich

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